Account file



W; BARR.

ACCOUNT FILE Jan. 22 1924.

Filed Oct.

5, 1.922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m1 Mai 9 m 1 Wwwr [M I W MM Jan. 22 1924;

w. BARR ACCOUNT FILE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct; :5, 1.922

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INVENT-UR .G fimvwl ATT lllllll Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

WILSON BARB, OF HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ACCOUNT FILE.

Application filed October 3, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVILsoN BARR, of the city of Hamilton, in the county of Wentworth, Province of Ontario, Canada, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Account Files, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in account files of the type shown and described in my prior United States Patent No. 996,197; dated June 27th, 1911, in which a series of frames hinged together in the form of a book are supported in a casing so that they may be turned up or down to expose either side of each leaf, and my object is to devise a file of this type which will be sufficiently fireproof so that it will not usually be necessary to remove the leaves from the file and place them in a vault or other place of safety.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my improved account file in the closed position;

Fig. 2 a similar view of the same in the open position and with some of the account holding leaves in the horizontal position;

Fig. 3 a horizontal section of part of the device on the line 33 in Fig'. 1;

Fig. 1 a horizontal section through the upper part of the casing showing the corner of the table forming the closure; and

Fig. 5 a front elevation of the table with its extension on a smaller scale.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

1 is the cabinet, which is formed of metal, and is preferably double-walled, the space between the walls being'filled with a suitable heat insulating material, so that the casing is for all ordinary purposes substantially fireproof. This cabinet is open at the front and this front is adapted to be closed by the part 2 and the extension 3 thereof as shown in Fig. 1. The part 2 is also adapted to assume a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 2 to serve as a support for the account-holding leaves as hereinafter described.

The table is supported by the following means. At each side of the interior of the Serial No. 592,173.

cabinet adjacent the back is formed a guide 4, the groove therein being of substantially T-shape. In each guide is engaged a slide 5, preferably of considerable length, the opposite slides being preferably connected with the cross bar 6 so that they form in effect a single slide.

From the slide 5 extend the arms 7. The forward ends of these arms are split and the lower part of each turned inwardly and then forwardly and formed as an open bearing 8 for the support of the book of account-holding leaves as hereinafter described.

Connected with the upper part of the forward end of each arm 7 is a hinge pin 9.

On each hinge pin is journalled a hinge knuckle 10 secured to the table 2. On these hinge pins the table is swingable so that it may occupy either of the two positions hereinbefore referred to. When in its horizontal position, the downward extension 8 thereof engages the arms 7 and thus serves to limit the downward swing of the table.

Normally the slide is yieldingly held in the raised position shown in Fig. 1 by suitable spring means. In Figs. 1 and 2 a preferred form is shown. At each side of the cabinet a lever 11 is fulcrumed intermediate its ends, the levers being preferably connected by the cross bar 11 to which are connected the upper ends of one or more coil springs 12, the other ends of which are connected with a suitable stationary part. The other ends of the levers are connected by connecting rods 13 with the arms 7.

The account-holding book comprises a series of account-holding leaves 14: hinged together at their lower sides, each hinge being provided with a projecting pin 15 at each end. The front leaf is provided with pivots 16 which may be engaged in the open bearings 8. The pins 15 are adapted to engage beneath restraining bars 17 secured one at each side of the cabinet. The back leaf of the book must necessarily be supported in some way so that the book as a whole will not tilt backwards nor the back leaf itself fall, while the whole book including the back leaf must be free to move forward as partor all of the leaves are turned down to horizontal position as shown in Fig. 2. Any construction known to the art may be employed for this purpose, such, for eX- ample, as the means shown in my prior patent hereinbefore referred to. For the purpose of the present application, I show the back lea-f as provided with a projection 18 at each side adapted to engage over the restraining bars 17.

To support and steady the forward ends of the arms 17 I secure-to each side of the casing a bracket 20 which extends through a notch formed in a lug 21 secured to the ad jacent bar 17. The bar is thus supported against upwardly acting forces and forces acting endwise of the bar.

The mode of operation will be readily understood from the above description. The table is swung to the horizontal position and the leaves turned down to the horizontal position as required the table moving up and down as necessary against the tension of the springs 12 and being held from rising except as the leaves are moved by the engagement of the pins 15 of the upper horizontal leaf with the restraining bars 17. I

To prevent the too ready entrance of flame and hot gases round the sides of the closure of the open front of the casing, a specific construction of the closure is necessary. It will be noted particularly on reference to the drawings that the end and sides of the table 2 are formed with an inwardly facing rabbet 22, while the end and sides of the extension 3 are formed with an outwardly facing rabbet 23, the frame of the opening of the cabinet being shaped to correspond. From this construction it follows that a projecting rib 24 is formed at each side of the extension 8, which must engage beneath the fixed rib 25 at each side of the upper part of the open front of the cabinet. To avoid a straight crack through from the outside to the inside at this point, it is preferable that the upper ends of the projecting ribs 24: be convexly formed and the lower ends ofthc ribs 25 concavely foru'ied so that they may engage as shown inFig. 1 when the cabinet is closed.

Any suitable locking means may be pro vided to hold the table and its extension in the closed position.

Vhile it is preferable to have the lower part of the casing closed, under some conditions the extension 3 may be dispensed with, or a separate closure provided for the lower part of the casing.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. In an account file the combination of a cabinet open at the front; vertically movable table supporting means; a table hingedon said supporting means so that it may be held in a horizontal position or swung up to a vertical position when the leaves are vertical; a plurality of account holding leaves hinged together to form a book; a pivotal connection between the front of the book and the table; means for supporting the back leaf of the book; a restraining bar at each side of the cabinet; pins projecting from the hinges of the leaves engaging beneath said bars; and means tending to raise the table supporting means.

In an account file the combination of a cabinet open at the front; vertically movable table supporting means; a table hinged on said. supporting means so that it may be held in a horizontal position or swung up to a vertical position when the leaves are vertical; a plurality of account holding leaves hinged together to form a book; a pivotal connection between the front of the book and the table; means for supporting the back leaf of the book; a restraining barat each side of the cabinet; pins projecting from the hinges of the leaves engaging beneath said bars; means tending to raise the table supporting means; and an extension of the table adapted to swing in the lower part of the cabinet to and from aposition at the front thereof.

8. In an account file the combination of a cabinet open at the front; vertically movable table supporting means; a table hinged on said supporting means so that it may be held in a horizontal position or swung up to act as a closure for the upper partof the front of the cabinet; and an extension of the table adapted to close the lower part of the cabinet, the sides and end of the table being inwardly rabbeted and the sides and end of the extension being outwardly rabbeted and the sides and ends of the open frontof the cabinet rabbeted to correspond.

I 4:. In an account file, the combination of a cabinet open at the front; a table adapted to occupy either a substantially horizontal position or an upright position in which it acts as a closure for the cabinet, said table when horizontal being vertically movable; a plurality of account holding leaves hinged together to form a book and adapted to rest on the table or to be swung up one by one to an upright position; means tending to raise the table when it is in its horizontal position; means on the cabinet engageable by parts movable with the leaves limiting the upward movement of the leaves and table when horizontal; and means limiting the rearward swing of the leaves when upright.

5. In an open fronted account file cabinet the combination of a cabinet open at the front; vertical guides adjacent the backof the cabinet; a slide movable therein; an arm extending forward from the slide at each side of the cabinet, each having an open bearing at its outer end; a table pivotally supported on said arms so that it may be swung up or down; means limiting its downward swing; and a plurality of account holding leaves hinged together to form a book; pivots on the front leaf adapted to engage the open bearings; means for supporting the back leaf of the book; a restraining bar at each side of the cabinet; pins projecting from the hinges of the leaves engaging beneath said bars; and means tending to raise the table supporting means.

6. An account file constructed as set forth in claim 4 in which the table is hinged intermediate of its ends, the part of the table above the hinge serving to close the upper part of the casing and the part below the hinge the lower part of the casing.

7. In an account file, the combination of a cabinet open at the front; table supporting means mounted to slide vertically in the cabinet; a table hinged on said supporting means so that it may extend horizontally from the supporting means or be swung up to a substantially upright position, a plurality of account holding leaves hinged to gether to form a book adapted to rest on the table or to be swung up one by one to an upright position; means tending to raise the table supporting means and with it the table; means on the cabinet engageable by parts movable with the leaves limiting the upward movement of the leaves and table when horizontal; and means limiting the rearward swing of the leaves when upri ht.

Signed at Hamilton this 21st day of eptember, 1922.

WILSON BARR. Witnesses C. S. WASHINGTON, M. J. JEFFREY. 

